{"id":2507,"date":"2025-04-09T11:40:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/palette.atljewishacademy.org\/?p=2507"},"modified":"2025-04-09T18:23:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T22:23:40","slug":"cteen-in-the-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/palette.atljewishacademy.org\/?p=2507","title":{"rendered":"CTeen In The Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New CTeen House Brings Opportunities to Atlanta Teens<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s a Friday night and CTeen Atlanta couple, Rabbi Dovid and Talya Goldschmidt, have the spent the day preparing Shabbat dinner for a group of Atlanta teens. Almost 30 teens enter Goldschmidt’s moderately sized townhome, whose main floor is transformed for their Shabbat meal. It gets cramped in their \u201ctighter spaced\u201d floor plan, with teens squeezing seats into the remaining available spaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Goldschmidts, accommodating a growing group of CTeen regulars can get difficult. With their recent purchase of a private home, however, they now have a space more capable of hosting CTeen events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CTeen (Chabad Teen Network) is a global organization dedicated to engaging Jewish teens through educational, social, and leadership programs that make Judaism accessible and meaningful. With nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide, CTeen aims to foster a sense of community, personal growth, and Jewish connection for teens from all backgrounds. Rabbi Dovid and Talya founded the Atlanta chapter in the fall of 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Rabbi Dovid and Talya Goldschmidt, and their child greet Jewish
teens into their home \/\/ Photo by Ami Korn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Goldschmidt\u2019s new CTeen house, which they moved into in early November, allows for \u201ca lot more kids\u201d to participate in events, said Rabbi Dovid. CTeen Leadership Board member and AJA High School student Myers Teyf expressed his excitement with the new space. With it, \u201cwe can accommodate a lot more teens, and it’s evident more people have been showing up,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with being bigger and more suitable for hosting large gatherings, the new house is more accessible to a greater number of teens. The Goldschmidt\u2019s CTeen house is open to Jewish teenagers all throughout Atlanta, not just those located near the local Chabad in Sandy Springs. Beth Tefillah, the Chabbad shul that Rabbi Dovid and Talya attend near the new CTeen Center, represents approximately 20 percent of their CTeen population, according to Rabbi Dovid. The new CTeen house is located across the street from Beth Tefillah, making it convenient for CTeen Atlanta\u2019s most centralized group of participants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The house is three stories, with a horseshoe driveway, an entrance and exit gate, a car lot\/basketball court, and a basement entrance specifically for teens. Rabbi Dovid, Talya, and family live on the upper floors. The basement, deemed the Teen Center, is a \u201clarge upgrade\u201d from the previous 500-square-foot room they used to accommodate teens in at their townhouse, Rabbi Dovid said. The center includes a lobby, davening space, a bathroom, and two additional spaces\u2014one being converted into a small gym and another a music studio. Behind these rooms is a teen hangout, kitchen, and learning space, as well as a video game room. The final and largest room in the center contains a CTeen screen to take pictures in front of as well as many couches, chairs, and places to stand and schmooze. The Teen Center exits out onto a 1000 square-foot terrace which is used as an additional hang-out space. Some parts of the basement, like the gym and music room, are still being renovated by the Goldschmidts to provide the best experience for their approximately 250 teenage frequenters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Goldschmidts look at their new house as a \u201cblessing.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The vast spaces CTeen has access to make it easier to create new opportunities. Myers explained that CTeen is now \u201cequipped with a lot more features, more space, and they have more people and ideas,\u201d making the event planning process \u201ca lot easier.\u201d With more room to work, collaborate on projects, and utilize activities, the leadership board can create larger events that cater to a broader community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noam Tzionov, a junior at AJA and active CTeen participant, expressed the importance of creating opportunities for teens to meet. \u201cIt’s very meaningful because it allows us to connect from many different places in Georgia,\u201d he said. \u201cI met people there that I didn’t even know existed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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The Goldschmidts host many activities, such as Shabbat dinners
for teens in their living room \/\/ Photo by Ami Korn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

CTeen is their full-time job, and they are \u201cgrateful\u201d to the members of their community who made it possible for them to secure their new abode. \u201cWe\u2019re all in,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Goldschmidts, CTeen was never about the space\u2014it was always about the message. Rabbi Dovid, a former CTeen member himself, became the first CTeen member to return as a CTeen Rabbi, helping teens strengthen their Jewish identity. He explained that while CTeen\u2019s mission aligns with kiruv <\/em>(an approach to Jewish outreach and spiritual engagement), it focuses on the Lubavitcher Rebbe\u2019s brand of kiruv,<\/em> which is not about bringing Jews closer, but revealing the deep connection they already have with Judaism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Goldschmidts like to infuse the Rebbe\u2019s ideology into their CTeen programming by focusing on bringing out each person’s connection to Judaism through a wide variety of specifically tailored events. These events include a weekly Bat Mitzvah Club, Mental Health First Aid training, and CTeen lounge nights. Noam encourages teens to attend future CTeen events. \u201cThat is helping [CTeen] grow,\u201d he said, \u201cand the more they grow, the more we can benefit from what they can do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Goldschmidt\u2019s, both in their late 20s, are at a prime age to connect with their CTeen teenage participants. They focus on helping the teens learn to enjoy and find meaning in the Jewish experience. \u201cWe don’t push anything on anyone,\u201d Talya said. \u201cIt’s more just like an open space for them to feel comfortable.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rabbi Dovid labels the house as a \u201cgame changer\u201d in their CTeen journey to inspire Jewish teens. He described how special it was to see kids find their own place in the new house. At this year\u2019s Chanukah party, one of the larger events they hosted, \u201cYou could sit in your corner here, we had people come play video games, some people doing art, some were eating, and everyone just kind of had their space.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CTeen is an open community for all Jewish teens, Rabbi Dovid said. \u201cYou’re a Jew; I’m a Jew; we’re all on the same journey, and we’re all here to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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